In The Umbrielian Shadows
by Tachyon II
Summary: After the Borg are gone, Seven still insists sensing them. Chakotay ends up on Umbriel where he finds something he had not been looking for. Danger looms, but there's also hope. This story takes place after the events in the book "Full Circle" by K. Beyer
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

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**

Umbriel, one of the biggest moons around Uranus, was a gloomy and uninviting world. Its surface was the darkest of the Uranian moons and the temperature maintained below -200 degrees Celsius. In this harsh, quiet and motionless world the ground was filled with icy rocks, craters and mountains. Only the dark sky above provided some beauty to this otherwise lifeless moon. Uranus dominated the sky as a massive turquoise ball and the countless stars of Milky Way shone brightly against the blackness of the universe. The sun, which was considerable smaller here, stood out between the stars as a yellowish bright spot in the sky. It was almost difficult to believe that there was life so near to this dead world, even in the same solar system just a shuttle drive away. But since there was nothing in significance to be found on this moon, humans had left Umbriel untouched. And untouched it was and it seemed like the time stood still on this cold and abandoned moon. Chakotay truly felt isolated and alone here.

Chakotay wore his white environmental suit, which protected him from the void of the space. As he walked, he kept observing the light gray surroundings behind his unopenable visor. He did not have a tricorder with him, because he was not here as a Starfleet officer; he had flown here with his Alpha Flyer as civilian without informing anyone where he had left. He was not a Starfleet officer anymore, so there was no one to inform when leaving off worlds. And coming here alone had been the preferable way for him. Fortunately there was no life on Umbriel, so there was no need to scan the area with a tricorder, though it would have made his search a little easier. But in the motionless environment he was able to observe the surroundings with his own eyes as well. And in the darkness of Umbriel, the light under the environmental suit's helmet would illuminate the whereabouts of the person Chakotay was now looking for.

Chakotay felt uneasy. Just this morning he had been on Earth without even imagining coming here. But he was here now. From all the places in the galaxy, he was here. Even though he felt the Umbriel ground beneath his own feet, he had still difficulties to comprehend that he had really come here where there was nothing. Or where should have been nothing. He had visited on many moons in this solar system during his training at the Academy, but Umbriel had not been one of them. This was his first time on this very moon, but it still provided only little to see.

"Where are you…?" he whispered to himself. "You have to be near here somewhere."

His sensors in Alpha Flyer had found another Federation shuttle easily approximately few kilometers away from his current position. He had flown circles around it couple of times, trying to find a human being on the moon with his own eyes, but he had not seen anything on the dark rocky ground. Alpha Flyer's sensors were pretty beaten already and desperately in a need of repair. If he had anticipated needing the sensors soon, he had got them fixed. But he had not. He had not expected to go further than Mars and certainly not on a search mission of this kind. So since the sensors on Alpha Flyer had revealed practically nothing, he had landed his Flyer near the other shuttle and left on foot.

Chakotay sighed. The icy serenity around him brought the conversation back to him from the last Tuesday night. They had lied awake on his bed and debated about the issue Chakotay had already decided to drop weeks ago. But she hadn't. For some reason Tessa had got stuck on the issue and before he had known, she had already suggested to do something that was utterly unimaginable and totally out of the question.

"_What if she is telling the truth?_" Tessa had asked.

"_She has not been herself lately_", he had insisted. "_So I wouldn't take this… dream of hers seriously_."

"_But _y_ou believed her for awhile_. _Just admit it._"

"_For a moment I did, yes_", he had admitted. "_But more I thought about it, clearer it become that there is nothing to it. Seven has had very difficult time to adjust on being fully human and the death of her aunt has not helped her situation at all. I am worried about her. If she doesn't accept more intense professional help soon, there is a chance her mental health will deteriorate even more than it already has_."

"_We met her, you and me together, and she seemed to be pretty clear-headed at the time. And she was serious_._ There was no dishonesty in her eyes._"

"_Tessa_", he had said calmly, "_please stop this. This leads to nowhere_."

"_You wanted to believe her too_", she had reminded. "_I know you did. For a moment you did seriously consider checking her story out by yourself. So I don't understand why you are so reluctant now_."

"_Because I don't want to feed this illusion of hers. Don't you see what she is doing to herself? I want to help her, I really do, but I am not the one she needs right now. She needs psychotherapy to get over her past and support to accept the present."_

"_I know she has her issues, but she truly believes what she is saying."_

"_I know she does, but it still doesn't make it true."_

"_But it would help her to know that you still trust her and appreciate her enough to check the situation out."_

"_What if it was true?_" he had asked then. "_Then what? If such a thing like 'royal resurrection vinculum' really exists, what then? Why would we want to find it? Don't you understand how dangerous something like that would be_?"

"_Of course I do!_"

"_And do you really believe that such a device would still be in our solar system? Tessa – that cannot be true. Seven doesn't know what she is talking about anymore. She has had a dream about the vinculum couple of times and now she believes it is true. But how can it be? How could she know about it? There is nothing Borg in her body anymore. So how would she know something like that? How would she be able to sense Borg technology now?"_

"_I don't know", _Tessa had replied. "_Maybe there is still something so fundamentally Borg in her, which gives her this weird unique instinct of some kind."_

"_I don't believe that Tessa. All Seven has now is her need to cling to the collective, because her identity needs it. She is lost, she feels alone, so she is making up stories like this. The fact is that during the years I have known her, she has never even mentioned such a device existing before now. That tells me that she is imagining this. She still needs the Borg on some level and this is a perfect example of her not letting the collective go_."

"_But she did say that only the Queen would be aware of such a device_. _Perhaps only few drones, the ones near the Queen, were aware of the vinculum._"

_"They were the collective mind, Tessa. If one drone knew about it, they all did. Not to mention that Seven was not the Queen", _Chakotay had reminded_. "Which proves my point – there is no such a thing as royal resurrection vinculum and there never was. Seven is imagining this."_

"_But if you really think about it, it would make sense that the Borg would have something like this. If the cube carrying the Queen was destroyed, there had to be some backup system protecting the Queen and the collective_."

"_They did have a backup system – the Royal protocol – a program, which was uploaded to a drone for the creation of the next Queen_."

"_But what if there were no other drones left? Surely the Collective would have considered such a scenario as well instead of regarding it as irrelevant._"

"_Every organic being dies eventually. The Borg were not immortal_", Chakotay had reminded. "And a scenario where there are no drones left would have most likely been implausible for the Borg. _And it still doesn't explain how Seven would now, almost two years after the destruction of the collective, gain the knowledge of a royal resurrection vinculum, which sole purpose is to restore the Queen's consciousness somehow. That makes no sense at all_."

"_But it does. Borg cube carrying the Queen exploded in this solar system. If such a resurrection vinculum existed, it was most likely designed to endure the explosion of the cube as well. Such a device would be the ultimate backup system for the entire collective; for their entire species. I'm sure that Starfleet did not explore every single peace of the Borg debris afterwards, but if they had, they still wouldn't have necessarily found it in the massive debris field. And once it drifted close enough to a planet, planetoid or a moon, and in this case to a moon, gravity would have pulled the vinculum on the ground_."

"_Yes, it all sounds very logical and convincing, doesn't it?_" Chakotay had sighed. "_And Seven is very good at explaining the Borg in a very convincing manner. But it doesn't make it true_. _The collective is gone. They are no more. Let them be that way. Believe me – this galaxy, this entire universe, is better without them._"

W_hy are you so reluctant to believe her?_" Tessa had asked indignantly. "_Why?_"

"_And why can't you let go of this? What do you want Tessa? What is it that you are looking for? Because I cannot believe it is a scientific curiosity that keeps you so fixated on this. Are you doing this for Seven? Has she persuaded you to get involved in this crusade of hers?_"

"_I am not interested in this because of her!_" Tessa had exclaimed. "_You just don't get it, do you?_"

"_What?_ _What don't I get? Tell me, because the reason why we are even having this conversation escapes me_."

"_I am doing this for you!_"

That answer had shocked Chakotay completely.

"_For me?!" _he had asked in disbelief. "_What are you talking about? I have asked you again and again to drop this already. "_

"_But a part of you wants to find out if that royal resurrection vinculum is true. You try not to show it, but I know that you are still thinking about it. It has been almost a month now since Seven told us about this for the first time, and it is still with you."_

"_This conversation isn't exactly helping now."_

" _I know you don't want to discuss this matter with me, but I am here Chakotay. You are such a private person, but you should know that I am here with you. I am here and I know you cannot let go of it either and it is not scientific curiosity that driving you either. It is her."_

"_Her?"_

"_You want me to say her name?"_ Tessa had asked and the look on her face had made Chakotay slightly uncomfortable.

"_Tessa…"_

"_She is the reason why Seven's words have stuck with you as well."_

"_She is gone", _he had reminded her as calmly as possible.

"_She is not gone"_, Tessa had told. _"She's here. She has always been here. She's on this bed between us right now as well. And she is not going to disappear. She is in our heart, she lives right there. She is not truly gone and she never will be."_

_  
"Tessa…"_

"_It's okay, really. I have always known the terms of this relationship and I still wanted this. And I have no regrets."_

There had been a brief silence between them, a slightly awkward one. Tessa's words had stung him, wavered the fragile cool exterior that hided the pain of his loss from the outside world. He had grieved a lot already, but there was still some pain left in his heart and he was certain it would be there until the day he died.

"_What does she have to do with any of what we have just talked about?"_ he had finally asked.

"_She has everything to do with it! It is her consciousness in that vinculum."_

"_No", _he had told firmly. _"It is not hers. If, and only if, such a vinculum exists, and if it was still intact after the explosion of the cube that killed her, it would contain the consciousness of the Borg Queen, not hers."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Tessa – stop. Just stop, please." _

"_What if she was still there Chakotay? Even Federation has technology to store consciousnesses, so it is very plausible the Borg had similar kind of technology as well. "_

"_I am not going to go and search for it. It is not going to happen. And I don't want to talk about this anymore."_

"_What if it could bring her back?"_

"_What? And how? How would that happen?"_

"_I don't know… by letting her out of that device somehow?"_

_  
"Have you lost your mind? If any humanoid being would tamper such a device, such a __Borg device_, _they would be assimilated immediately."_

_  
"Are you sure? Because Seven did not say anything about vinculum containing nanoprobes for assimilation. According to her, regular vinculums in the core of Borg vessels simply purged all individual thoughts of drones on a Borg vessel."_

"_But she has not been talking about a regular Borg vinculum lately, has she? She has been talking about royal resurrection vinculum. The mere word 'resurrection' indicates that the vinculum would function as a platform for someone to rise from the death. And the Borg multiply by assimilating other species. "_

"_But what if it could be prevented somehow and all that was extracted from that device was the consciousness. There are so many open questions, so many unknowns, and therefore we should study it."_

"_No. Those open questions and unknowns are the very reason why we should not even theorize about the possibility of such a vinculum."_

"_You could get her back Chakotay…" _

"_Is that what you really want?"_ he had asked then in a most serious manner.

Tessa had sighed and turned her face away. _"I love you Chakotay. I love you more than you probably even know. So what I want is the best for you. And therefore I want to do what I believe is the best for you."_

"_And what does that mean?"_ he had asked, slightly alerted by the choice of her words.

"_It means… that I want to know if there is any truth in what Seven is saying. And it means that if it is true, and if after extensive research of such a device revealed that nothing else gets her consciousness out of the vinculum than assimilation, I would volunteer."_

Chakotay's jaw had dropped. _"Have you lost your mind?!"_

"_I am ready to do it_", she had told.

"_Are you crazy?_" Chakotay had asked. "_First of all, there is no one in the Federation who would let you do it, not even me. Especially not me. And second of all, if such a device was to be found, it would be destroyed immediately. Starfleet would even shot that moon in microscopic peaces, if nothing else destroyed it_."

"_So that is why we should find it first. We need to find it without telling anyone what we are looking for."_

"_Tessa please. Listen to yourself!"_

"_I have thought about this Chakotay."_

"_Obviously."_

"_I mean seriously. Chakotay – if I can get her back to you, I am willing to do it."_

"_But why? I have not asked you to do this. On the contrary – I am asking you to forget this altogether."_

"_Why I love you. I know that hearing this makes you slightly uncomfortable. And I know that you most likely had her in your mind tonight on this bed with me. I know all that. But I also know that if you knew for certain that the only way to bring her back was to assimilate yourself, you would most likely do it. So I am making this easier for you. You deserve her back Chakotay. After all you two went through, after all the time you wasted, you deserve more than you ended up getting."_

"_Tessa…"_

"_The difference between you and me, between this love and the love you lost when she went away, is that you would die for her. You were ready to die for her before you were even free to love her. Well you know what? I am ready to do this for you. I love you Chakotay. I have never had feelings like this for anyone, you know that. And I love you enough to let you go_. Because none of this would matter, if she was back here now; this relationship would have never happened, I understand that. And I have accepted that as well."

"_Have you any idea how much I have tried to get over her?_"

"_I know it Chakotay. I know that you have tried. And for a moment it seemed that her memory had faded away between us. But that changed when we talked to Seven a month ago, didn't it?_ _I know this is eating you up inside! This almost nonexistent possibility to get her back has tormented your every thought ever since the day Seven brought this vinculum up. I know it has, so there is no point of denying it. I know it is crazy, I know there is a huge possibility Seven is making this whole thing up, but what if? What if Chakotay? Perhaps Seven cannot let the Borg go, but you cannot let Kathryn Janeway go either. She is still here. For a moment I thought she was gone already, that her ghost only visited briefly here every once in awhile, but after this vinculum business she has been here 24/7. This… this relationship is ending Chakotay and we both know it. You need her. You have always needed to be with her_."

"_Tessa…_"

"_I know_", she said. "_And I knew it since the day one we met that there were three in this relationship. I hoped it would change by the time, but it didn't turn out that way. And now I have an opportunity to give you something that you have needed all along. So let me do it. Let me help you to find out if you really can get her back. You deserve nothing less."_

Tessa's voice still echoed in Chakotay's ears as he walked on the frozen ground of Umbriel. He felt guilty. He should have kept his distance, he realized it now. He should have not treated Tessa the way he had. He had not wanted to hurt her, but her heart was broken now. She wanted to hide it, to veil it in her willingness to find some last piece of Kathryn for him, but Chakotay knew better.

"_I wanted you, even though you told me you had not let her go yet. I didn't hear what you tried to say, because I wanted to be with you. But now I know you were right, but still; it was my choice. Don't ever blame yourself, because you have done nothing wrong. If nothing else, you are my friend. And that is a lot too._"

Chakotay sighed. But it wouldn't be enough for her. He knew that as well. He knew that the moment he had taken Kathryn in his arms, there was no turning back to platonic friendship after that. That is why he blamed himself now. He should have remained alone, like he had already decided to be. But Tessa had been wonderful. She had made him smile again. She was beautiful, smart and right in every way. But she was not Kathryn. As cruel as it might sound, she was not Kathryn.

And now Tessa was somewhere on this moon. She didn't have a lot of experience being in space, but now her stubbornness had driven her on Umbriel. Chakotay worried. Tessa had nothing to do with Starfleet, and she was no expert working in space either. Did she know how to estimate her oxygen supply? Did she know what to do, if something unexpected happened? Chakotay doubted that. Therefore he needed to find her as soon as possible. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her. He would never forgive himself, if she was harmed in anyway on this moon now.

Suddenly Chakotay saw a glimpse of light in the middle of the darkness.

"Tessa?" he called.

No answer.

But it had to be her. There was no one else on this moon.

"Tessa?" he called again. "Can you hear me?"

But she didn't answer. Finally when he got closer he saw her kneeling and staring something on the ground by her feet. Suddenly she seemed to realize the movements near her and she quickly turned her face to him.

"Tessa?" Chakotay asked.

Tessa wasn't able to hear him, so she adjusted the audio settings on her environmental suit.

"Chakotay?" she finally asked. "You came!"

"Why the hell did you come here?" he asked angrily. "Do you have any idea how much I worried?"

"Chakotay", she said and smiled. "It is here."

"What?"

"It is really here", she told and pointed down at the icy ground.

Chakotay looked on the ground by her feet and saw a small black device on the icy rocks. His heart skipped a beat. That was not just some random debris. After all the years onboard Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, he recognized Borg technology when he saw one.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

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"Are you okay?" Chakotay asked.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Chakotay sighed.

"You found my message, I presume."

"I did."

"And you guessed you would find me here."

"Where else, Tessa?"

"Right. Well, before we start the same song and dance all over again where you ask me to forget about Borg vinculums and such, I want you to look at this. This is it, Chakotay. I know this device is the royal resurrection vinculum from the Borg cube where your Kathryn died."

"That is Borg technology, yes, but it still doesn't make it royal resurrection vinculum."

"I believe this is the vinculum", Tessa said. "Just like Seven told us that there would be one on Umbriel, and I think you believe it as well."

"Whatever that is, or has been, it is Borg technology, so don't touch it. Just leave it right there, step back and come here."

But Tessa didn't seem to hear him at all. She simply stared the small black box on the ground and muttered to herself: "Seven… she was right after all. Somehow she knew this would be here. So she must be right about the Queen's consciousness part as well."

"Tessa – that is Borg debris and there is nothing unusual about that, In fact, there might be also other pieces from that massive cube on this moon as well as on the other Uranian moons. Hell – if Jupiter Station reported small pieces of the debris bombarding them weeks after the explosion, there must be small parts of that cube all over this solar system by now."

"This is not some random piece of debris, Chakotay. This is clearly a device", Tessa said with a wide smile. "This is a device with some specific functionality, I'm sure of that. We have to take it with us, Chakotay."

"Tessa, let's go back to your shuttle and leave."

"You cannot walk away from this now!"

"That debris at your feet is Borg technology", Chakotay told seriously. "That is nothing to be taken lightly. Functioning or not, you need to step away from it."

"We need to take it with us", Tessa said again. "She is in here. Kathryn Janeway's consciousness is in this device!"

"She is not there", Chakotay told firmly, trying his best to contain the anger inside him. "She died in the explosion over 18 months ago. Let her rest in peace, Tessa."

"I can't", she told. "Not now. Not when we both have seen that this is true after all."

"I know you are trying to help, but this is opening wounds I have already tried very hard to close. That's all. So in the name of my father's gods – please leave it there and let's go."

"If we leave now, you will spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been. Can't you see what an enormous opportunity this is? And not just because of her, but from scientific point of view as well! A month ago we didn't even know that this kind of device existed!"

"And it shouldn't exist anymore, can't you see that?! The Borg is gone. Assuming that the piece of junk at your feet is really some magical vinculum, such a device represents an enormous threat for billions of free people in this galaxy! Why cannot you see that Tessa? You are playing with fire!"

"I won't let you to live the rest of your life wondering about this. If we leave now, the thought of this device will torment you forever! If we leave now, you will abandon her here on this freezing and dark moon!"

"I am not abandoning her! I have never abandoned her. She died. Kathryn died and I was forced to continue my life without her. And I thought I was doing that. I did not expect you from all people to be the one who would keep me tied in the past. "

"I have not done anything of the sort! It has been you Chakotay who has Kathryn Janeway in your heart, not me. And I have told you again and again that I am fine with it; that I know it is true no matter how hard you try to deny it. And here we are now. Here we are on Umbriel, looking at a Borg device on these icy rocks, and you still want to turn your back on this? Why are you pushing this opportunity away?"

"This is my life and my decision, Tessa!" Chakotay reminded. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, and that you care so much of me that you have taken this vinculum business so seriously, but we cannot possibly know what that device can do. We don't really know what that thing is so we don't know the risks involved! So let's leave it here where it can do no harm. And before you bring Kathryn up once again, I need to remind you that I have already accepted Kathryn's death. Therefore, I refuse to risk the lives of the billions just because she left a void in me that will never be filled again."

"Chakotay, won't you just listen to me?!"

"No", Chakotay told firmly. "No, I won't listen this madness."

But Tessa refused to listen as well. She kneeled on the rocks again to study the frozen device on the icy ground closer. Chakotay sighed and cursed all the stubborn women in his life. He had thought Kathryn had been the most bull-headed one, but Tessa was the one to challenge her. Kathryn had been a risk taker, but she had never been the daredevil Tessa was. Kathryn had known where to draw the line. Tessa on the other hand always paid more attention to what her heart said, and usually it happened in the expense of commonsense. As endearing quality it might be in a person, this time the passion in her might just have too dangerous consequences.

Chakotay knew he had to stop her. Tessa didn't have all the facts, and even if she did, they wouldn't have necessarily mattered to her. Chakotay closed the cap between them by taking three steps forward and just when Tessa was extending her arms towards the vinculum, Chakotay stopped her by grapping her left arm.

"Don't touch it Tessa! Just stop. Stop this! No one should be near this device! No one!"

"We are on Umbriel! This little… box is exposed to the void of space. Where is the harm to look at this closer?"

"Tessa", Chakotay warned. "Just leave it right there and step back. Please."

"What do you plan to do Chakotay? Just stand here and look at it until your oxygen runs out? It is not enough to observe it with our eyes only and you know it. We need to study it. And in order to do so, we need to take it with us."

"What I plan to do is leave from this moon without ever coming back", he told. "So come on. This isn't worth it. Let's just go."

"We have to take this with us!"

"No we don't!"

"I don't believe this!" Tessa exclaimed. "This is the royal resurrection vinculum, which is most likely a link to the woman you lost 18 months ago. You still love her; that much I know. So I want to help you to reach her again. But you resist this? I understand that there are risks, huge ones, but this might be the last piece of here left in this universe!"

"Let's go Tessa", Chakotay asked again, but more calmly this time. "Let's go."

"There is no turning back now."

"Yes there is."

"To what? What else is waiting for you back on Earth than living the rest of your live knowing what we have found here, and wondering what might have happened, if we had studied this device closer?"

"I have accepted Kathryn's death already", he told. "Why can't you?"

"You have accepted it, but you cannot move on. You have not moved on, Chakotay. Your heart is still with her and it always will be. So let's do this! Let me do this for you. Let me take this… thing and find out, if I can help you somehow."

"By getting assimilated, if nothing else would work?"

Tessa sighed.

"You said that yourself last Tuesday night. You said that you would volunteer."

"But I don't believe it would come down to that, Chakotay!"

"You're damn right it won't. Because we are not leaving this thing behind us and forget this madness."

"What if someone else finds it by accident?"

"Who? No one comes to this moon. There is nothing here that would interest anyone."

"Starfleet cadets could come here and find this."

"I doubt it. That is a piece of Borg junk that barely registers in our sensors. It has not power supply, no active beacon of any kind."

"I found it", Tessa pointed out. "I found it, thanks to Seven, who more or less told me where to look and what to look for. What if Seven tells about this to someone else?"

"She won't. She hesitated telling us about this, because she expected us not taking her dreams seriously. So she was right that there was something Borg on Umbriel, and I give her some credit for that. But whatever that thing is, it is still Borg. _Borg._ And I don't want anything Borg-related in my life anymore. I have seen more than my share of them in one lifetime already."

"Look", Tessa said then more calmly. "I know that there I am no expert of the Borg, and I am not very technologically oriented person in the first place, but I know that this discovery means something. Maybe Seven could even help us – she knows more about the Borg than anyone!"

"Tessa no", he said and shook his head. "No. Don't drag Seven into this. She is on her way accepting being fully human, so the last thing she needs is something like this."

"She is suffering because what has happened to her. This could help her; this could give her something else to think about; something to be excited about again."

"No, no and no", Chakotay sighed.

"Seven is unhappy. She doesn't like her life much right now and it is sad, truly heartbreaking. She could be everything, yet she doesn't know how to be anything at the moment."

"Seven's state of mind is nothing to play with!" Chakotay reminded angrily. "Leave her alone and don't mention about this to her, ever! There is no telling what she might do, if she knew about this. As far as I am concerned, she is better believing that there is nothing Borg left in this universe anymore. It is a difficult journey for her, but a journey she needs to take. So for her sake as well I am asking you once again to drop this. Please Tessa. Don't do this."

"Chakotay…"

"If this has something to do with me not paying enough attention…"

"No!" Tessa cut him off. "No. You are wonderful Chakotay… and our time together has been wonderful. I love you, I have told you that countless of times, but you never saying that back to me is a clear sign for me that I am doing the right thing now. I am trying to give you a gift – a piece of Kathryn Janeway. "

"I cannot let you do this", Chakotay told. "I just can't Tessa."

Chakotay tightened his grasp on her harm, but Tessa wanted none of it. Suddenly she pulled her arm free and to Chakotay's horror, took the device in her hands. Chakotay was shocked. What had she done?

There was a brief moment of silence between them. Tessa, who was holding her breath, was looking at the device in her hands, and Chakotay stared her under his brows.

"See?" Tessa finally said when breathing again. "Nothing happens. Maybe this vinculum works only in places with atmosphere, or maybe this is damaged. Either way, I don't think there is need to worry."

Chakotay glared her angrily and cursed her stubbornness once again.

"Give it to me", he asked then.

"Why? So you can throw it against these sharp rocks?"

Chakotay sighed. "In this gravity it would most likely just float peacefully on the ground. Not to mention that if it survived the explosion of the cube, there might be only little I would be able do to break it."

Tessa didn't answer. Slowly she got on her feet, keeping the device in her hands, arms reaching forward. Chakotay got up on his feet as well and kept his eyes on the black box in her hands.

"Now what?" Chakotay asked.

"Now we can go back to our shuttles."

"With that vinculum of yours? I don't think so."

"You just won't give up, will you?" Tessa sighed. "But I guess I was expecting nothing less from you. I knew that at some point we would have this kind of debate. But I was hoping it would have been closer to Earth or on Earth for that matter. I think you would have resisted this less in that way."

"You have to realize Tessa, that the vinculum has no business leaving this moon. I do appreciate your enthusiasm and your willingness to do this for me, and even for Seven, but we cannot do this. What does it take to make you see that?"

"I understand the risks."

"Do you? Do you really? Because I don't think you do."

"Even if I disagree with you, I can still understand the risks involved", Tessa told again and Chakotay knew she believed what she was saying.

"You don't know a lot about the Borg", Chakotay reminded one more time. "So seeing you now, holding that device in your hands, is like child holding a bomb in my eyes."

"A child, huh? Well, I am not a child Chakotay. I know that I need to be very careful with this vinculum. And yes – this is the vinculum; I don't care what you say. I know I am not exactly a techno-geek when it comes to alien technology, but Seven knows a lot. That is why this really has to be the royal resurrection vinculum instead of some random piece of debris left from the explosion."

"If you are correct, if this really is the royal resurrection vinculum, we are not the ones to study it. We should notify the Starfleet about this immediately."

"No. Starfleet would destroy this, you said that yourself. And that would be the end of Kathryn Janeway as well, or what is left of her consciousness. We could tell to few selected others, though, like your Doctor who has a lot of experience with the Borg technology. We could even tell to B'Elanna who practically knows everything there is to know about machines, engines and stuff. So we don't have to take this to Seven, if you worry about what effect this might have on her mental health. We have all the time in the universe; we are in no hurry. We can tell Seven about this later, when she is feeling better."

"Gods of my father…", Chakotay sighed in frustration.

"So let's go", Tessa said then. "The shuttles are only couple of kilometers away."

"Just leave it here, Tessa. Just leave it…"

"No."

"I won't let you take it to Earth."

"I don't believe you will stop me either."

"I will stop you Tessa."

"No you won't. You want to study this, just admit it. The explorer in you is intrigued, I know that. You just don't want to admit it yet."

Suddenly both of them almost jumped as a green light flashed on the vinculum.

"What the hell…" Tessa whispered as she stared the device in her hands.

"Put it down… NOW", Chakotay told firmly.

"It's okay… it is just powering up somehow…"

"And that is all the reason you need to put it down on the ground again."

Suddenly something moved; something that was unnatural, but surprisingly familiar for Chakotay.

"TESSA!" he shouted as he instinctively rushed closer and grabbed the device out of her hands.

But before he knew it, two assimilation tubules emerged from the small device in their full lengths and stung Chakotay's right arm. They penetrated the environmental suit he was wearing effortlessly, letting the oxygen leak to the void as two narrow strings of white gas.

"Oh God no!!!" Tessa yelled.

Chakotay dropped the vinculum and covered the two small holes on his sleeve with his left hand. But he knew it was not enough. He was running out of oxygen in minutes.

"Chakotay, we must run back to the shuttle! Come on!"

But Chakotay didn't move. He just dropped on his knees and looked forward with an empty look in his eyes.

"Chakotay, come on!"

"Tessa…", he said then.

Tessa looked him in the eyes without saying a word. Suddenly Chakotay heard something inside his head. They were voices, whispers of some kind. They were like echoes from somewhere distant.

"Chakotay…?" Tessa asked, but he did not hear her anymore. Instead he heard another voice now, a voice he had once known. A voice he had thought he would never hear again.

And he realized then, in some bizarre way he understood, that the voice was the last individual thought of Kathryn before her personality had emerged as the part of the collective over 18 months ago.

"_I love you Chakotay…_" he heard her whisper.

Chakotay gasped for air.

"Chakotay?" Tessa asked again and this time he heard her. "Chakotay, say something!"

He glared her below his brows until told slowly: "Run."

But Tessa was unable to move.

"RUN!" he demanded again.

"I won't leave you! Come on! There is something we can do, something to reverse this…!"

"RUN!" Chakotay told again. "And once you get to your shuttle, take off and destroy the Alpha Flyer. Do not, I repeat, do NOT leave any technology behind!"

"What about you?"

"I'm dead", he told calmly.

"No… no you are not! No you are not!!!"

"GO!"

"Chakotay, come on!"

"I will never make it", Chakotay told. "If the oxygen deprivation doesn't kill me within minutes, I am going to be a Borg drone. That equals death in my book. So go now and leave me here."

"Chakotay, no!"

"GO TESSA! Don't kill yourself on this moon! GO!!! I will be a Borg drone soon and the first thing I will do is to assimilate you, so go! Run for your life and don't look back! And don't leave any technology behind for me! Destroy the Alpha Flyer with the weaponry on your shuttle! Shoot it in pieces!"

Finally Tessa got on her feet and started to back off. "I'm sorry!" she yelled. "I'm so sorry Chakotay!"

"Grief later, now it is not the time! Just go and don't tell anyone where I am! If someone asks, even if it was my sister, tell them that I just vanished someday! You don't know where I am! I am just gone, you hear? Gone!"

"There is no way in hell I am leaving you here!"

"GO! GO NOW!"

"Chakotay!"

"NOW TESSA! he commanded furiously.

Tessa stumbled on the icy rocks and tears filled her eyes. What had she done? What in the world had she done? She couldn't leave Chakotay behind like this! She simply couldn't! What could she do now? What would anyone do in a situation like this?

"Just get to the shuttle first, think about what to do then", she reminded herself as she run forward. She was too afraid to look back, even though there was nothing she wanted more but to stop and go back to him.

She finally admitted that Chakotay had been right all along. Something about the vinculum had sensed the proximity of a humanoid being and just like Chakotay had warned her – it had assimilated. She had not been ready to accept such a scenario and now Chakotay had to suffer because of her stubbornness. But could his assimilation be prevented? Could the process be reversed somehow? Chakotay didn't think so. But how could she live now knowing what had happened? How was she able to get over something like this?

When she finally saw her shuttle in the Umbrian shadows, she finally stopped and turned around. She saw nothing. Chakotay had not followed her.

"Get in the shuttle", she whispered to herself. "In the shuttle you are safe."

So she turned around and headed to her shuttle. Tears burned her eyes as she opened the main hatched and stepped in. When she was finally inside, she removed her helmet and sat behind the conn panel. With trembling hands she activated the take off sequence.

"Shoot the Alpha Flyer", she said out loud, just so she would remember do to everything Chakotay had told her to do. "Don't leave any technology behind…"

Tessa's shuttle finally rose from the ground. But before she activated her weapon systems, she decided to fly to him. She needed to see him one more time. Maybe she could transport him inside the shuttle, in the rear section, and put a force field between them. Maybe she should take him to the Doctor, who had worked years with Seven, removing one Borg implant at the time.

Tessa maneuvered her shuttle towards the site where she had left Chakotay. He flew low, illuminating the ground with her shuttle lights. Finally a man's figure hit the lights. He was kneeled down on the ground, still holding his right arm. How far the assimilation was, she couldn't say. He was too far away from her.

Suddenly something unexpected happened. A green light, a vortex of some kind, appeared around Chakotay.

"What is that?" Tessa asked out loud as she wiped her tears off her cheeks. "What is happening?"

She looked at her sensors and saw two words on the screen: "subspace fracture."

"Subspace fracture?" she asked as she tried to make sense of the sensor readings on her console. "But… how? And what the hell does that mean?"

But when she took another look through the shuttle window, the vortex was gone; vanished.

And so was Chakotay. Or what was left of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

**:::::::::::::::  
**

Voices filled his ears. They were like whispers, but extremely monotonous ones. Chakotay opened his eyes. He saw nothing but blur. The visor of his environmental suit was covered with vapor. That indicated that he was in a warm and moisture environment. Both the voices in his ears and the sudden moisture on his visor gave him an idea where he was, but he was not ready to accept it. He couldn't accept it. But once he wiped his visor with his glove and saw a wall before his eyes, he knew denying wouldn't take him anywhere. But what had happened? He looked over his right shoulder, still in a kneeling position, like he had been on Umbriel just seconds ago. But this was not cold and dark Umbriel anymore. He was inside of a Borg vessel.

Chakotay sank on the floor, pressed against the wall and stared ahead. How was this possible? How had he ended up here? Where had this vessel come from? The idea of universe without the Borg had been a difficult one to comprehend, so now that he was on a Borg vessel again, it felt like salt had been rub on an old wound. So what would happen now? Or did it even matter what would happen? Was he hallucinating this? Was he dead? Unfortunately he doubted that, because the striking pain in his arm was very real. Dead men did not feel pain, but the pain on his arm was as true as were his own thoughts. So he still existed in a physical reality, there was no doubt about that.

Slowly he took of his helmet and took a breath. A wave of warm and moist air hit his face. So there really was air, so he couldn't be on Umbriel anymore. So much for the hallucination theory as well. He pulled his gloves off and looked at his hand where the pain was most intense. It was grayish already. That only affirmed his suspicions; he was about to become one of the thousands drones on this vessel. It was imminent, irreversible. But instead of cursing his faith or the universe in general, he was numb. In a strange way he found peace within himself. He was about to face the same death than Kathryn had, and Kathryn had been the one with whom he had found the peace. So perhaps this kind of end was fitting for him; perhaps this was the way how he was supposed to die. And if these were his last individual thoughts, he would rather spend the moment making peaceful farewells as well as thinking of the woman who he had loved deepest - Kathryn.

So Chakotay closed his eyes and whished the best for Tessa. He hoped she had managed to get off Umbriel safely. He knew it had been difficult for her and the decision to leave him behind would challenge her spirit during the upcoming days. Chakotay wished she wouldn't take similar path of hate, pain and anger than he had taken after Kathryn's death. Tessa had had good intentions. She was a good person. And he had been lucky to have her in his life, no matter how briefly. Tessa had been a ray of light for him after a long period of darkness. She had given him a perspective to life again, to a normal life, even if he wasn't able to love her the way she deserved to be loved. But he had become fond of her, even more than he had expected to.

Then he thought about Sekaya. Chakotay hated the idea of leaving her behind again. But Sekaya was strong. She would overcome her lost and the sorrow that followed. Sekaya was the type of person who was always able to see good in every situation, no matter how dire. That was a side of her Chakotay had envied sometimes. Sekaya's inner peace was undisturbed and therefore she was such an inspiration for him. Sekaya had been like an anchor for him after he had came back from Delta Quadrant. She had taken his hand and led him back to his own roots where he had found a side of him he had already believed to be lost, and for that Chakotay was deeply grateful.

Kathryn.

He wanted her to be the last thing on his mind, just like he had been in hers before the hive mind had devoured her individuality and enslaved her to serve as the core of the collective. So he took a deep breath, forgot the fact that he was currently inside of Borg vessel and about to become a drone, and went back to the night on Proxima Station where they had finally spent a night together. "_At least I won't have to continue living with the thought of being without you_", he said to himself. "_Perhaps we will meet soon again. I love you so much_."

He remembered her face like it had been yesterday when they had had dinner on Proxima Station. He remembered her voice, her smile, every word they had exchanged. He hadn't visited this memory lately, since he had decided not to dwell on the past anymore. And also because Kathryn's memory was still something that made his heart ache. There was still part of him that was bitter of losing her just when he had had her in his arms. But now, during the last moments as an individual, the memory of her was like an oasis in the middle of a desert.

Suddenly Chakotay was alarmed as he heard something inside of his head. It was like a click of some kind. Chakotay opened his eyes and observed his surroundings. He didn't see any movement near his current location, so that could only mean that the Borg had not found him yet. So what did the click mean? Was that supposed to happen when person got assimilated? Was that a sign of some Borg implant being created inside his skull? Perhaps. But on the other hand he felt nothing. He still felt the pain in his hand and the tingling sensation on his right arm where nanoprobes were turning his human cells into Borg ones, creating little implants under his skin before taking over his body and mind completely. But his head, his mind, was still surprisingly clear. He was still aware of his individuality.

Or was he? Suddenly he sensed something unexpected, something that was not quite… him. What was it? "_What the hell is going on?_" he asked in his mind as his heart was filled with frustration.

Suddenly he felt a presence; a strong sensation that he was not alone anymore. Someone was with him, even though he was still alone, hiding in the shadows of an unknown and relatively unused section in a Borg vessel.

"_A part of me is wishing this assimilation would progress a little faster than this…_" he thought as he sighed.

"_Chakotay- is that you?_" he heard then inside his own head.

Chakotay almost jumped. The voice had been so clear. And it had not been his voice. Or had it? Suddenly every thought he had in his head was filled with confusion.

"_I know… I don't understand this either…_" the voice inside of his mind told.

Chakotay felt all the strength in his body disappearing. He knew that voice; he knew that voice better than anyone.

No, he had imagined that.

"_You are not imaging this_", he heard then, but without being certain if the thought was his own or not. "_Or am I imagining this?" _

"_This cannot be…" _

"_Oh God… am I really here?" _he heard then. "_Is this really…? Oh God… what am I? How long… how long have I been here? Oh God!" _

A wave of images filled Chakotay's mind. He saw flashes of Borg drones, space battles, faces of the former crew of Voyager.

"_Oh God! Please tell me this is not true!" _he heard then._ "Please tell me this has not happened to me! Chakotay…? Are you there…? Chakotay?! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!!_"


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

**:::::::::::::::**

Chakotay felt a wave of despair sweeping over him, but the despair did not originate from his heart. Or was it? He wasn't sure. But he felt it; he felt it like it had been his own soul screaming in agony. And in a strange way it was. But how?

"_Chakotay!_" he heard someone calling. The voice was clear compared to the whispers of the hive mind. So he couldn't have imagined it. "_Are you there Chakotay?_"

Chakotay closed his eyes and sighed. "_Kathryn?_" he asked then.

_"Yes! I'm here! I'm right here Chakotay! Where are you?"_

"_This is not happening…"_

"_This isn't happening… yes this is a dream. Or is it? Was that my thought or yours? Did you say that or did I?"_

_  
"I am losing my mind."_

"_I am losing my mind… Yes. I am dreaming… tell me I'm dreaming… that's it. This must be a dream. Oh God I want this to be a dream…."_

"_How can you be here?_" Chakotay wondered and felt the urge to break down in tears. He had missed her so much. He had wanted her back more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. "_How can you be here?" he asked again. "How can I be here?"_

"_We are assimilated, aren't we?_" Kathryn asked. "I can see my arms and my legs… they are covered with Borg implants. I am all… Borg. But if that is true…"

"… _how can we have thoughts outside of hive mind?_" Chakotay continued.

"_Where are the others? Where is my crew?_"

Chakotay felt her anxiety and agony. He knew what the thought of losing her entire crew did to her. It was unimaginable, too horrifying for her mind to process. Yes, she was getting more restless. The crew… the crew… where were they? Where was their crew? What had happened to Voyager?

"_I don't know Kathryn", _Chakotay finally told_. "I don't know what has become of them. I don't know anything about this… universe; this timeline_."

"_I am calming down_", she informed, or told herself. "_I am walking here on these dark corridors and I will find them. One way or another I will. But I can only hear you, Chakotay. Perhaps I need to find you first._"

"_I cannot tell you where I am."_

"_I cannot tell you where I am", _she told in return. "_Chakotay… you are not feeling well. You are in pain, aren't you?"_

_  
"My assimilation is not complete."_

"_And you are… in distress… you have not been here for a long time. What was that?"_

"_What?"_

"_That thought you just had? About a moon of some kind."_

"_I was there just minutes ago… and now I am here… I am dreaming this."_

"_I am dreaming this", she said almost simultaneously. "No… that was your thought, wasn't it?"_

"_It is difficult to say…"_

"_We must try to control this somehow…"_

"… _this joined consciousness…"_

"_Where are you?" she asked then. _

"_I don't know…"_

"_Let me see what you see…"_

"_How?"_

"_Just look around and concentrate. I can see what you are seeing. At least I think I do."_

"_Our minds are one, huh?"_

"_I guess so"_, she said. _"And yes – you have experienced something like this before… in Nekrit Expanse where you met… Riley. That was her name was it?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Yes it was. I remember her now as well. But I can also access your memories… but I shouldn't."_

_  
"But it is still happening whether we want it to happen or not. Our minds are one."_

"_I know… so we need to focus now to your surroundings."_

_  
"This is so strange…"_ Chakotay sighed.

"_And what she did to you then, Riley on that planet inside the Nekrit Expanse, was similar with what you are experiencing now."_

"_It is… I was connected to them with a neural link… so there must be a neural link between us now as well. That can only mean that I am almost there. I am almost a drone myself now."_

"_Try not to think about it now", she asked. "We are both in shock now, but we need to focus. Please concentrate on your surroundings, otherwise I cannot locate you."_

"_But you keep on thinking about the faith of the crew. It is distracting."_

"_Alright, alright – I will try harder as well. We should both try to concentrate about your thoughts now and purge our minds of all the speculation about what has just happened to us. It gets us nowhere."_

_  
"Agreed"_, they agreed simultaneously.

For a moment Chakotay succeeded to empty his thoughts and focused on his surrounding. He tried to find some significant details, which could reveal something about his location to Kathryn. But soon his mind started to wonder again. And it was because of her. He had not talked to her in over 18 months so now that he heard her voice again, his mind wandered around memories of them together.

"_I am getting images from Voyager now_", Kathryn told. _"Is it you or is it me?"_

"_Sorry. I can't help it. Your voice brought that all back to me now…"_

"_What do you mean?" _she asked and a memory of returning to Earth came back to Chakotay. Kathryn was able to see that memory instantly in her mind as well._ What…? You have not been in the Delta Quadrant for couple of years now? Are you serious? Is that really true? But how…? How is that possible?"_

"_Now your emotional response to that thought is making my heart beat as well." _

"_But how?"_

"_I will share that memory with you when you are here"_, Chakotay suggested and once again blocked all thoughts about Voyager and Kathryn. He was on Borg vessel now. Nothing else existed.

"_Very well", _Kathryn agreed and Chakotay felt her calming down a little_. "We both try to concentrate on locating you."_

"_Agreed", _Chakotay said.

Chakotay stared forward and tried to forget the rest. But it was difficult. And because of his current predicament, three people from his past popped into his mind.

"_Yes we met those three in this universe as well", _he heard her saying. "_The ones from Seven's unimatrix."_

"_This is how they must have felt as well – being linked to each other, hearing the others' thoughts, while the voice of the collective is constantly on the background. No wonder they were so desperate… so determined to find Seven so they could severe the neural link between them. This is like a nightmare – being in a collective while still knowing your individuality."_

"_I was not aware of myself before I just ended my regeneration cycle a moment ago." _

"_I think I heard that as a click… the moment you were…"_

"… _activated. That is correct. It sounds Borg, but that is what happened. I was activated, but the command did not originate from the hive mind."_

"_You believe it was me?" _Chakotay asked.

"_Yes… You being here on this vessel must have triggered this somehow… this sub-collective of us two. That is the only plausible theory I have at the moment. What? Royal resurrection vinculum?"_

"_It must be behind this somehow."_

"_I must try to access that information."_

"_Is it wise? Seven told that information is not accessible for the hive mind."_

"_We are a unified will, there are no secrets."_

"_We?"_

_  
"I mean them."_

"_I recommend extreme caution."_

"_You don't want me to search that information", _Kathryn stated.

"_I don't. It is too risky. What about the current Queen?"_

"_Current Queen?_ Kathryn asked, but almost instantly she continued: "_I was the Queen?! Me?! How? How is that possible?"_

"_Try to calm down."_

"_You are serious, aren't you?"_

"_I don't lie to you Kathryn. And this neural link makes it impossible for me to lie you now."_

"_So I really was the Queen… Oh God. I think I feel nauseated."_

"_We don't have the Borg in our universe anymore", _Chakotay explained, hoping the information would make her feel slightly better_." You saved us all. You sacrificed yourself so the rest of us could live."_

"_I cannot process this much of new information know", _she told and Chakotay sensed her frustration. But he also sensed her curiosity.

"_Then concentrate on my thoughts and find me. We must try harder now."_

"_Agreed."_

For a moment they had a consensus about the priority of things; that Kathryn the drone needed to focus on finding him instead of demanding answers. But soon Chakotay felt their unified determination faltering again. And he knew why.

"_But how?_" she asked then. "I_ was in the Alpha Quadrant? For how long? How did I get there?"_

"_You got us home"_, Chakotay told. "_We used the Borg transwarp hub…"_

"_In the nebula", _Kathryn continued. "_I know. I remember the nebula as well. My future self was there?!_ _No… that is not how it happened… that is not how it happened at all."_

"_Kathryn, I sense your adrenaline levels rising again."_

" _I remember what happened to me now; I remember what happened to all of us"_, she told and Chakotay felt her anxiety.

Chakotay closed his eyes and let the images from Kathryn's memories to emerge on his own thoughts.

"_You found the hub…"_ Chakotay said as he accessed Kathryn's memories.

"_We found the hub ourselves. First I gave the order to continue, but I changed my mind… there was a slight possibility we could make it somehow, and I took the risk…"_

Suddenly images of Borg cube armada filled Chakotay's mind; the voice of the collective as they announced that the biological and technological distinctiveness of the Voyager crew would be added to their own. And the images of Voyager being shot again and again came to him. He saw systems failing one by one during the long fight; he felt Kathryn's anger and fear… Finally the drones penetrated their shields and transported onboard. Kathryn had been one of the first ones to be assimilated.

"… _and Voyager exploded… the Borg destroyed it once a satisfactory amount of the crew was assimilated. But you fought Chakotay; you were the one to fight the longest. And you died; you died when the ship was destroyed. And so did the majority of my crew. My God! I kill them! I killed them all!_"

"_Kathryn! Concentrate on the image in my mind. Find me!_"

"_Oh my God…"_ she whispered. _"I took unacceptable risk and I killed them. I failed them. And why? Because I was tired. I wanted to go home more than continue my duties. I was tired and jaded; I had had enough on my responsibilities. Because of a bad day, I took that unacceptable risk… and I got them all killed."_

"_It was not just a bad day, was it?"_ Chakotay asked. "_You have been tired for longer than that."_

"_Seven years, Chakotay. Seven years… By that time the thought of captaining the ship for the rest of my life was a thought that crushed me. I loved them, I loved our family, but I was so tired. But now… they are all dead or assimilated, and my tiredness doesn't really mean anything. I should have tried harder. I should have been grateful for what I got without constantly thinking about what I could have at home."_

"_Kathryn… I know it is difficult, but you must block the memory of that day now. What is done is done. There will be time to grief them, but it needs to be later."_

"_I will try", _she promised and Chakotay was able to sense that she meant it. _"I will try…"_

"_Good. And for what it is worth - almost all of them are still alive in my universe. They are all there."_

Chakotay felt a wave of relief and it calmed him down as well.

"_I am glad", _she told. Then she was alerted. "_I think I have identified the grid and subsection you are in…" _she informed.

"_Good work."_

"_So to the point of finding the Borg transwarp hub on the seventh year of our journey, our universes and timelines are almost identical", _Kathryn concluded then.

"_Parallel universes are usually very similar with one another, though in the infinite amount of universes there is room for differences as well", _they both thought simultaneously. Whose thought had that been, Chakotay was unable to tell.

"_What happened to you here has most likely happened in other universes as well. And what happened to us in my universe must have also happened in other universes", _Chakotay concluded.

"_That makes me feel slightly better"_, she told. _"Thought I have always hated parallel universes and temporal mechanics; in theory or in practice."_

"_I know"_, Chakotay said and smiled.

"_I'm getting information from the hive mind_", Kathryn said then. "_A subspace fraction is detected in the grid 38, subsection 291._ _Yes, I agree. That must be your current location."_

"_That is the most logical conclusion…"_

"… _like Tuvok would say"¸_ Kathryn said.

Chakotay smiled. "_I haven't realized how much he means to you until now",_ he said then when sensing Kathryn's emotions.

"_Tuvok is important for me", _she told. "Always has been. He is a good friend. Or was."

"He is", Chakotay corrected. "_He still is your friend."_

"_The grid 38 contains containing auxiliary systems without regeneration chambers so therefore there are no drones currently near you", _Kathryn told then, bringing them back to the present_. "But there will be soon; drones have been sent to investigate the phenomenon. Therefore, you must hide. The subspace fracture leads to the Umbriel? In our solar system? My God!" _

"_It might be a way home", _he said. "_And that means…"_

"_Agreed – we must close the fraction somehow. There are drones capable to function in the space. Yes, it is unacceptable to let the Borg find a universe where they do not exist anymore. It must be prevented._"

Suddenly Chakotay saw a drone standing in front of him.

"_You_", he said to her.

The mere sight of her standing just couple of meters away put a weight on his chest. It was Kathryn standing in front of him. It was his Kathryn. She wasn't just a voice in his mind, she was real. She really was real. And Chakotay finally realized just how deeply he had missed her. Suddenly all that had happened today lost its meaning. What mattered was the woman under the Borg armor; the woman he thought he would never be able to see again in his lifetime.

And Kathryn felt his emotions. It confused her. Every thought in her head was suddenly in the state of flux. She was extremely happy to see him as well, but what Chakotay was thinking and feeling right now, was much more than she could have ever expected from him. The depth of his affection surprised her. Then she realized another feeling emerging from him as he stared her physical appearance. He was saddened. Seeing her in Borg armor saddened him deeply.

"_Yes, I know I look like a drone now_", she told. "_And I am a drone._ _But you are not and therefore we cannot let the Borg find you. But the Borg are currently aware of the subspace fraction in this grid and therefore we must hide you somehow. Suggestions?"_

"_All I know is that the collective cannot know about the universe where they do not exist. I cannot let that happen. I cannot do that to billions of people._"

"_Agreed. We cannot let that happen."_

"_And I cannot enter the subspace fraction because Umbriel is on the other side…"_

"… _and your environmental suit is damaged beyond repair. Agreed- this situation is dire yet I am not giving up just yet."_

"_However, I am only assuming that the fraction leads to Umbriel. It could lead to some other universe as well."_

"_Agreed. We do not have enough information to form tenable theory at this point of time."_

"_But we have to base our decisions and actions on some assumption", _Chakotay began.

"_And the Umbriel hypothesis should be the assumption on which we base our decision-making at the moment", _Kathryn continued.

"_Agreed_", Chakotay said.

"_I_ _am pleased to see that we are still able to work seamlessly together_", she told him via their link and smiled faintly. _"That there is still something the Borg cannot take away from us."_

"_Hell, they have done us a favor, haven't they? Now we can agree more efficiently"_, he joked.

"_Good point. Now let's figure out the way to get out of this damn vessel. I think the Borg have borrowed us enough for the time being."_

_  
"That is the spirit I know."_

A faint smile appeared on her grayish drone face again. Chakotay sensed an affection inside her; an affection that was triggered by his presence. It pleased him and he knew she was able to sense that from him in return. Kathryn stepped closer. Chakotay knew she wanted to inspect how far his assimilation had progressed. She worried, because his physical condition was not a good one. He felt extremely weak and his hand as well as his arm was in pain.

But when she approached him, suddenly two assimilation tubules emerged from Chakotay's left hand. "ARGH!!!" he yelled in pain.

"_I suggest we avoid using voice", _Kathryn said as she took one step back.

"_Agreed…", _Chakotay said in his mind again. "_I think your proximity triggered this… I think I should assimilate you…"_

"_You might be correct", _Kathryn agreed. _"If I was the last Queen in your universe, like I am interpreting from your thoughts, perhaps you are the carrier of the royal protocol, meant to be uploaded in this body which has identical DNA traces with the other me in your universe."_

"_Don't get any closer, then."_

_  
"I will maintain safe distance between us."_

"_This… urge to assimilate you is… surprisingly strong. But how? Why would the Borg create this kind of technology that would require entering in another universe instead of creating a new Queen with the first humanoid body touching the resurrection vinculum?"_

"_I agree. The Borg do not think that way. Such a strategy seems too insufficient."_

"_Perhaps..."_

"… _it is because this time the body was not female…"_

_  
"… and therefore a subcommand to locate the last Queen from another universe commenced."_

"_I agree", _Kathryn said then. _"Royal resurrection vinculum may be the last mean for the Borg to survive. And the first one to be assimilated as the new Queen needs to be female. Now that the vinculum assimilated male the only way for the collective to resurrect was to locate me from another universe. Opening a subspace fracture might seem as extreme to us, but if the survival of the collective is in question, that might be just a minor backlash in the resurrection process."_

"_So now what?"_ Chakotay asked. _"You cannot come near me or you will be… assimilated."_

"_Yes, I know it sounds awful… and it is. I have assimilated various species already and now that I am aware of it… I feel horrible. Yes I agree – that is information I cannot process right now. And yes – I we need to be extremely cautious now. Another Queen emerging in this collective here would have severe consequences. We cannot let that happen."_

"_But I don't know how long I can resist this Kathryn… this urge to assimilate you is getting stronger."_

"_Your brain is filled with nanoprobes, which may have programmed this kind of instinctive behavior in you. Fascinating technology – the means to open subspace fracture in order to enter other universes instead of moving forward or back in one timeline, and to search the biological match of the queen stored in royal resurrection vinculum."_

"_Hey science girl", _Chakotay interrupted once he realized Kathryn getting excited about the science behind royal resurrection vinculum. "_Is it safe for you to think about it? What if this conversation of ours leaks into the hive mind?"_

"_It is a possibility, yes. But I don't detect the collective being alerted."_

"_Neither do I, but I don't think my link with the hive mind is as strong as yours."_

"_Agreed. I believe the nanoprobes in your system have modified your body for one purpose only - to inject me with your specially programmed nanoprobes from the resurrection vinculum. You are not meant to be a drone; you are simply used as a go-between. What would happen to you when the task is carried out is unknown."_

"_But I bet it is not anything good."_

"_Most likely not. However, that does not explain why there is this link between us two right now."_

"_Perhaps this is the way to locate you from the collective… "_

"… _in order to assimilate me and bring me back."_

"_The collective would most likely sacrifice one drone in order to create a collective to a universe, where the collective is no more."_

"_The vinculum most likely threw you in a universe where I have been assimilated, but not as a Queen…"_

_  
"That sound logical", _Chakotay agreed. "_Of course there is always a possibility that the_ _programming of the vinculum was… imperfect."_

Kathryn smirked. "_Ouch – I hope the Queen didn't hear that."_

Chakotay laughed. It felt nice to laugh after all that had already happened.

"_What…?"_ Kathryn asked when receiving images from Chakotay's mind again. "_You were the one who did not want to find the vinculum in the first place…?"_

"_I didn't. I didn't want to believe such a device even existed. But the damn thing injected me with the nanoprobes and here I am. I still cannot believe this is happening."_

_  
"We have seen many strange things during our days together in the Delta Quadrant",_ Kathryn said.

"… _but this must be one of the weirdest experiences I have ever had", _Chakotay sighed. "_But at least you are here Kathryn."_

Kathryn sensed another wave of affection spreading in her mind. She smiled and suddenly there were flashing images of them two together; on the bridge of Voyager, in Astrometrics, in the mess hall… they were celebrating Prixin with the crew, but quickly the memory changed into their conversations in the ready room, and into their weekly dinners in her quarters… Kathryn liked those memories and she sensed that they were equally important for Chakotay too. But she also sensed a kind of longing what came with those memories, but she couldn't say if those emotions originated from her or from him. Their minds were as one and many thoughts and sensations were mixed together and there was no way of telling where the line between her thoughts and his exactly was.

Suddenly they both were simultaneously alerted.

"_The subspace fracture is still open and the collective is aware of its existence. They are almost here", _they both concluded.

"So w_hat now?_" Chakotay asked.

"_I am not certain. But what I do know, what we both seem to know now, is that the Borg_ _have already proceeded to grid 35. They will be here in less than three minutes."_


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

**:::::::::::::::**

"_I am receiving more accurate information from the hive mind_" Kathryn told. "_There are four drones assigned here_."

"_Right."_

"_I will be unable to prevent them coming. In addition, I am not assigned to this location. The drones will not care about it, but the information of the fifth drone near the subspace fraction will be added to the hive mind."_

"_So you need to leave as well."_

_  
"Yes."_

"_Yes."_

"_You will have to seek cover behind that grid"_, Kathryn told then.

"_Agreed. Where will you go?"_

"_I will leave now, but once the drones are gone, I will return. We can still communicate with our neural link. At least as long as both of us are alive and active."_

"_And what if the drones find me?"_

"_You will be assimilated, you know that by now."_

"_What about the royal protocol inside of me? There is a possibility that the protocol is transferred to a drone, which assimilates me."_

"_It is a possibility, yes But all we can do now is to hope, that if such a thing would happen, the drone assimilating you is not a female of her species…"_

"… _because that could lead to the creation of the new Queen…"_

"… _and it would most definitely expose you and your current location…"_

"… _and this body would most likely be destroyed one way or another…"_

"… _by itself, once you have carried out the task, or by the Borg who will see you as a threat to the collective."_

"_That is my best guess", _they both told simultaneously.

"_This situation is difficult, we both know that", _Kathryn stated_. "The odds to survive are against us. You are too much in pain to walk out of here and you cannot come near me, or I will receive the royal protocol when you re-assimilate me."_

"_So all I can do is to hide and hope for the best."_

"_That is our best option, though not a good one."_

Chakotay looked at Kathryn's pale face and he knew she was worried. She didn't want him to die. In fact, such a scenario frightened her. Hell, it frightened him as well. And he was not ready to die just yet. Not now when he had found her. Not now that he was with her again.

But then something unexpected happened. Both Kathryn and Chakotay were alerted by the hive mind.

"_MULTIPLE VESSELS HAVE BEEN DETECTED. UNIMATRIXES 321 TO 592, GRIDS 35 TO 115 - ACTIVATE."_

"_We are being prepared for assimilation_", both Kathryn and Chakotay acknowledged while looking at each other.

"Accessing the database…", Kathryn told.

Chakotay nodded. Perhaps this was a good thing. Perhaps this was the distraction they needed to buy time.

"_The four drones approaching this grid have been given new orders as well_", Kathryn informed. "_Subspace fracture on grid 38 is now secondary, since no danger to the vessel has been detected. Majority of the drones have been activated for the assimilation procedure, because we are the only Borg cube within a 24 light-year radius. Course has been altered for intercept. Vessels are being engaged in two minutes, 27 seconds. Resistance is futile_. _And no Chakotay – I am not being too Borg. I am simply relaying this message to you, if your link with the hive mind is not as strong as mine._"

"_How many souls?" _Chakotay asked.

"_The Borg is detecting…_"

"…_780 541 life signs. That is mass murder Kathryn._"

"_I know."_

For a moment they just stared at each other, interpreting the images in each others' minds. They were memories from their journey, the times they had encountered the Borg themselves; when they had been the ones in danger to be assimilated by the collective. The memories they shared were similar with only slight differences. But they understood each other; if there were gaps in the memories, they fulfilled them. That is how their joined mind worked. It was confusing, strange even, but the same time there was something consoling and comforting in it. The neural link was something individual minds would never be able to experience, in good or in bad. But the most startling observation was that it was not all bad. Not between them at least.

"_I envy your universe"_, she told then._ "I cannot imagine this galaxy without the Borg. It is…"_

"… _too good to be true"_ Chakotay continued. _"It was too good to be true. At least for me. It came with a very high price."_

"_You are referring to my death."_

_  
"I am."_

"_That… confuses me a little. The death was always a possibility for both of us…"  
_

"_I know, but the timing was not right…"_

"_You… you were in Venice when you heard the news"_, Kathryn said as he interpreted Chakotay's thoughts. "_Mark came to tell you the news? Mark?"_

"_Yes."_

"_The mirror… you dropped the mirror you gave me couple of years ago… wait – now you are blocking the memory Chakotay."_

"_I don't want to think about it now."_

_  
"You are upset."_

_  
"Of course I am!"_

"_Very well", _she said and Chakotay was able to feel her being slightly hurt. "_We should concentrate on getting you out of here. Other thoughts are irrelevant."_

_  
"They are not exactly irrelevant, Kathryn."_

"_At the moment they are", _she snapped.

"_Now you are upset."_

"_I can sense that there are many thoughts you don't want to share with me."_

"_There is a reason for that, Kathryn."_

"_I understand."_

Then the hive mind interrupted their exchange of thoughts again. The time had come.

"_WE ARE THE BORG. YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. THE TECHNOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS OF YOUR SPECIES WILL BE ADDED TO OUR OWN. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE."_

Suddenly Kathryn had an idea. Chakotay sensed that, but was still uncertain what her intentions were. "I need to go", she whispered.

"_What?!_" Chakotay exclaimed via their link.

"_It is the only way_", she told. "_If you were to enter the subspace fracture again in order to return to Umbriel, you need a new environmental suit. I cannot repair the one you are wearing now and either can you. This species… species 11 028, has the technology for space traveling. It is reasonable to believe they may also have environmental suits on their vessels_."

"_How do you think you can…"_

"_We don't have the time to debate this"_, Kathryn interrupted. _"This is the only way. This assimilation provided us the opportunity to get you back and close this subspace fracture so that the Borg in this universe cannot follow. But we cannot close it before you are on the other side, and that is why you need an environmental suit."_

"_What about you?"_

There were mixed thoughts running in Kathryn's mind. She didn't know. She didn't know what to do; other than finding him an environmental suit from one vessel of species 11 028. What happened after that was unknown.

"_First I need to find you the suit. When you have the suit, we will evaluate the situation again. However, there is also another concern_", she said then. "_I detect some irregularities in the subspace fracture. It might collapse on its own soon. Therefore, we must hurry. Whatever we are going to do, it has to happen before that fracture collapses. Otherwise it is possible you will spend the rest of your life on this vessel and if that happens…"_

"_I know, I know…"_

"_We are in agreement_?" she asked then_._

"_Yes. I will wait here."_

_  
"Good. I try to hurry back." _

And then she turned around and left. Chakotay sighed. He didn't like this at all. What Kathryn was about to do, was not much of a plan. But it was only plan they got now under these circumstances. It was better than nothing, obviously, but there were so many unknowns.

"_I don't like this either_", he heard her in his head. "_Yes – I know I startled you. This neural link between us is very confusing, but we are adapting to this situation relatively quickly, don't you think?"_

"_We are."_

_  
"And you have to admit that sharing information like this is efficient_."

"_It is_", Chakotay admitted. "_But I guess I would still choose to keep my thoughts as my own, if given the opportunity to choose."_

_  
"True, but I if I had to choose between this link and the eternal oblivion in the collective, I would choose this one. At least I am in good company."_

"_Likewise."_

"_See, you are feeling more confident already."_

"_So are you", _Chakotay told.

"_I have to admit that there have been times when I have been curious what is going on inside your head"_, Kathryn told. "_Was that you laughing?" _she asked then.

"_It was",_ Chakotay told.

"_I am encountering other drones_", she told then and the light mood, which had just dominated their conversation, vanished in a blink of an eye.

Chakotay sensed her getting more apprehensive. _"Relax", he said. "Just walk like you were one of them. Pay no attention to them; just walk like it was just another day in the collective. As far as they are concerned, there is nothing unusual about you. You are just another little piece added to their perfection."_

"_I am following six drones in front of me. I believe that they are heading towards the section of the ship where alien vessels are towed during assimilation. It is my understanding that the Borg have engaged the species 11028 already. Assimilation has begun and is underway_._"_

"Just think about the environmental suit and pay no attention to anyone around you", Chakotay reminded. "You will most likely witness assimilation first hand soon, but block it away."

"_I will. I have memories from other assimilations, so it is nothing new to me_", she told and almost instantly Chakotay was able to see the horrified alien individuals in his eyes. They screamed, yelled and pegged for mercy, but for the Borg such pleads were irrelevant. Nothing was more important than assimilation and for a moment Chakotay felt that urge again.

Chakotay blocked Kathryn's memories and said: _"Be careful Kathryn. We all know how free species react when the Borg come. If they are not paralyzed with fear, they will resist."_

"_I will try to avoid the crowded areas."_

_  
"Good idea."_

Chakotay closed his eyes. He tried to empty his thoughts and concentrate on information he was receiving from Kathryn. He felt her uneasiness and he didn't blame her. He knew he would feel the same way if their places were changed. Walking among the Borg collective as one of their own was not a picnic. But Kathryn was doing well. Despite of her anxiety, she remained calm.

Chakotay couldn't help but to remember the three former drones from Seven's unimatrix once again; Lansor, Marika and P'Chan. He had pitied them then, but now he truly understood their ordeal. It had taken them months to get off the Borg vessel. Months. For him the last hour alone had been one of the most unpleasant experiences of his life. Sneaking in to the hive mind, observing the collective from the front seats, gave him a unique perspective of the Borg; what it truly meant to be part of it all. Granted that his link with the hive mind was not as strong as Kathryn's at the moment, but he got the picture. He was deep enough to feel the completeness of the hive mind where there was no doubts and uncertainty. Every single drone of the collective was the same. There were no traces of selfishness, or fear. No one discriminated other to gain power; no one questioned the worthiness of the existence of the next drone. They were all one.

But it was not good enough to live one's life enslaved. There was no such perfection in the universe that was worth losing one's identity. The price was too high. And therefore, Chakotay was not ready to give up just yet. He wanted to go back. But the subspace fracture, which was his only change to get back to his own universe, wouldn't be here forever.

"_We will succeed"_, Kathryn's voice reminded him inside his head.

"_I see that you have adopted some of that infamous Borg confidence",_ Chakotay joked.

"_Borg? Oh no. This is all Janeway_", she told.

Chakotay smiled. "_I have missed this", _he thought.

"_Missed what?"_, Kathryn asked.

"_You_", was the answer.

Suddenly flashbacks from Kathryn's funeral emerged in his mind. For a moment he felt the pain of her loss again as vividly as it had been just yesterday. It was all there for Kathryn to see as well; the tears, the sorrow, the denial what had happened. He still remembered the difficulty to accept the facts and to let go. There had been nothing to look forward anymore. Everything meaningful had gone with her and all there had been left was his anger.

"_Please block the memory_", Kathryn asked. "_It's too much_. _I can't take it right now_."

"_Sorry_."

"_I will concentrate all of my efforts, physical and mental ones, to find an environmental suit for you. We cannot waste any time, if we want to succeed."_

"_Alright. I will concentrate on your thoughts now."_

"Good. Let's do this together."

"Team effort."

"Team effort", Kathryn stated. "Now, _I think found one of the alien vessels. I am about to enter it_", she informed then. "_Stand by_."

Kathryn walked towards the alien ship. Drones were practically swarming around her, but she tried not to think about what that truly meant. The only thing that mattered was her destination and it got closer on every step she took. Finally she reached the ship and saw one of its hatches open. The Borg had ripped it of, she knew that. She stepped in and it was then when she heard the first screams.

"Stop it, please!" someone screamed. "At least let the children go!"

But there was no answer. There never was when the Borg came. And now she was one of them, same kind of mechanical being in the eyes of these aliens. But she was different from the others, significantly. Even though she knew other drones were unaware of her individual thoughts, she still felt unsure walking among them. She was afraid she would unintentionally do something so "un-Borg" that she would get assimilated again. Or worse.

"_I am inside of the alien vessel_", Kathryn informed to Chakotay. "_I am heading to the rear section of the ship_."

"_You are agitated, Kathryn._"

"_Of course I am. I am here with a bunch of other drones. Innocent people are being assimilated before my own eyes. Children are crying, their mothers are screaming in despair, and many are already given up; they are just staring somewhere in the distance and practically giving themselves to the Borg on a silver platter. There is no resistance, Chakotay, at least not as much as one would expect. I guess they know they are dying and they want to do it with dignity_."

"_If_ _we could help them, we would. But_ t_here is nothing we can do."_

"_I know. But it is disturbing. And the scream I just hear few seconds ago - it has muted. I think that female will never scream again."_

"_We know what that means"_, Chakotay told. "_She's gone now. But at least she is not afraid anymore."_

"_No, she is not."_

"_I am sensing something", _Chakotay told then. "_It is you Kathryn. You are getting very tired."_

_  
"This Borg armor is very heavy to carry right now", _she sighed. "_I am exhausted. I think my regeneration cycle was incomplete…"_

"… _because my arrival activated you before the regeneration cycle was complete."_

"_I cannot get back to my alcove. There is no time. And I have no idea what would happen if I would step in one of those alcoves. Would the hive mind be able to detect my neural link with you? Would they receive information about you from my thoughts? I won't risk that. I am not giving up on my individual thoughts before you are on the other side of that fracture."_

_  
"You are still talking about me only"_ Chakotay pointed out. "_There is no way I am leaving without you."_

"_Stand by – an alien is approaching me",_ she informed then.

"_An aggressive one?"_ Chakotay asked.

But Kathryn didn't answer.

"I wish you all would just die!" an alien man yelled. "Get lost in the black space between the galaxies! Get lost!!! I will kill you if you touch me! You hear! I will kill you!"

"_He is yelling at me"_, Kathryn told. "_I am the only drone in this part of the vessel at the moment, so I am a threat."_

"_Ignore him."_

"_That is my intention."_

But the alien man did not notice how the Borg drone near him did not care about his existence. Perhaps it was his fear, his survival instinct, that forced him to defend his own life in such an aggressive manner, even thought the chances of survival were extremely low. Kathryn couldn't blame him. She had been in his place already and she still remembered the hatred in her heart just seconds before the inevitable had happened.

Suddenly the man raised his weapon and fired. Kathryn felt a burning sensation on her right arm. It was extremely painful, but she bit her tongue. She couldn't make a sound; Borg drones did not scream in pain. The man fired again, but her Borg shields had already adapted.

"I will kill you!!!" the man yelled again.

Kathryn tried to ignore him and continued walking forward without paying any intention to the man. Soon he would be assimilated by another drone anyway. But before that happened, she needed to find an environmental suit from the vessel. If other drones were to see that she was more interested in a suit than the manic alien man, the hive mind would be alerted. In the eyes of the collective such a behavior would indicate that she was malfunctioning, that there was something so fundamentally wrong in her humanoid brain that she needed to be repaired or even terminated. But the alien man was not ready to let her go that easily and before Kathryn knew it, the man had already found something on the floor of the damaged vessel. In a matter of seconds something hard was thrown towards her.

Kathryn felt a sudden blow on her head, just behind her left ear. For a moment all she was able to see were little white dots of light in her eyes. All the voices, external and internal ones, fell silent. She didn't know how much time had passed until she heard Chakotay's voice inside her head again.

"_Get out of there!_" Chakotay exclaimed.

"_I cannot… not just yet."_

"_You are hurt."_

"_My skull…I think I am bleeding…"_

"_That alien man is not giving up, we both know that!"_

"_There are no other drones in this section of the ship yet_", she told. "_The man is making this very difficult, it is true, but I need to proceed. I need to find that damned suit._"

"I will kill you!!!" the man yelled again.

Suddenly Kathryn turned around and saw the alien man running towards her with a mad gleam in his dark eyes.

"_Defend!_" someone commanded in Kathryn's thoughts. Was it Chakotay, herself, or the hive mind; she did not know. Almost automatically Kathryn grabbed the man and pushed him against the wall. Then she stared into his eyes without saying a word.

"_You scared him already", _Chakotay told_. "Let him go."_

"_He will attack again."_

"_Then you need to talk to him."_

"_I cannot. The other drones may hear me."_

"_You have to take that risk!"_

Kathryn pondered for a moment_. "Agreed",_ she finally said.

Then she loosened her grasp and the man was able to move more freely again. Then she asked quietly: "Do you have environmental suits on this vessel?"

"You speak?" the man asked then. "You understand my speech? How…? Why…? You must let me go! Do you understand? You must let me go!"

"Do not yell", Kathryn told. "Now answer me, calmly - are there any environmental suits on this vessel?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I need an answer."

"Who are you?"

"We are the Borg", Kathryn replied in a cold manner.

"Why do you need our space suits?"

"We… we are the Borg", Kathryn said again, hoping that her answer would intimidate the man enough in order to provide the answer she was looking for.

"There are some suits..."

"Where?"

Man nodded to his left and Kathryn moved back. Then she turned around and continued towards the rear section of the ship.

"Who are you?" the man asked again. "You are not the kind of Borg I have been told about!"

"Leave me and hide", Kathryn told. "I won't be coming to your rescue when the others are here."

"You… you are still an individual! Did I do that? Did I just make you as an individual?"

"_This man is delusional", _Kathryn sighed to Chakotay.

"_He is desperate and afraid. Try to get rid of him."_

"_I am trying_", Kathryn told. "_Believe me I am."_

"You must help me!" the alien man said then. He was following her now. "Are you escaping? Is that the reason why you are searching the suits?"

"Leave me and hide", Kathryn advised again. "If you hide, you may be able to avoid the assimilation."

"But you have to help me! You simply must!"

"There is nothing I can do for you."

"My name is Teno. I am from a world called Kuriaani. I am a functionary in our government's office for interstellar trade. Perhaps I can help you. If you get me off this ship, there may be something our government could do for you. We could escape together!"

"I'm sorry, but it is doubtful."

"Please!" the man pleaded tears in his eyes. "I don't want to die!"

"The only advice I can give you right now is to hide. There is nothing I can do for you."

"But there must be!!!"

Suddenly Kathryn was alerted by the hive mind.

"INTRUDER DETECTED ON GRID 38. UNIMATRIX 311, GRID 32 - ACTIVATE."

"Please!" the alien man cried.

"_Did you hear that?_" Kathryn asked Chakotay.

"_I did. They are coming for me aren't they?_"

"_Yes_", Kathryn replied. "_Somehow the hive mind has become aware of you. I need to hurry now_."


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

**:::::::::::::::**

It took approximately two minutes until Chakotay heard footsteps on the metallic floor plates. They were coming; the Borg drones had arrived to investigate grid 38. Chakotay took a deep breath and rose above his fear. He had been facing death before, countless of times, so this was nothing new for him.

Chakotay had found a small place behind a large metallic grid, but he knew it wouldn't keep him undetected forever. But there was really nowhere else to go. The nanoprobes in his system were wearing him out and the pain in his arm was still paralyzing him. He couldn't run and hide, so he was chained to his current location. Now he could only hope that Kathryn would return quickly. He sensed her still being on the alien vessel, but that was all he was able to tell. He was so focused on his own situation now that he received only bits and pieces of what Kathryn was going through.

Then he saw them. There were three of them. Two of them continued towards what Chakotay guessed to be the location of the subspace fracture. He could only hope the drones would not enter the fracture. If that were to happen, the Borg would have once again arrived to his universe, and all, especially Kathryn's sacrifice 18 months ago, would have been in vain.

But there was no time to worry about such a scenario now, because the third drone approached him like it already knew what to look for and where. Chakotay was unsure if Kathryn was able to sense his thoughts now, but soon it would not matter anyway. He was exposed. The Borg had found him. Quickly the drone reached him. He looked up and saw a grey face of a male drone looking at him. Then, without any hesitation, the drone extended his left arm towards him and before he knew it, two assimilation tubules pinched him on his neck.

"A g_uy just can't win, can he_?" he cursed in his mind while pressing his hand against the two small punctures on his neck. The sensation of assimilation tubules penetrating skin was one of the most unpleasant ones Chakotay had ever experienced. "_Assimilated twice…well, at least there aren't that many in the universes who can say that_", he thought sarcastically.

Once the drone had carried out its primary task, it turned around and headed towards the other drones. And that was it. No words were exchanged, no rituals performed. The drone was simply on his way like nothing had changed. And for it nothing had changed. It had been just another assimilation among the others.

But suddenly the drone started to shake and twitch. Chakotay struggled to get up on his feet and once standing (barely) he observed the drone. And before he knew it, the drone fell back on the floor. Then its body twitched couple more times, until it stopped entirely. And then nothing. The drone was no more. It was deactivated and Chakotay guessed it would be permanently.

"Must be something that you assimilated…", he whispered. "So I guess the cat is out of the bag now… the hive mind will soon know that there is something lethal on this vessel."

The two other drones were immediately alerted. In a matter of few seconds they turned around and headed towards the deactivated drone on the floor; towards Chakotay. Chakotay sighed. If he had succeeded to do that to one drone, why were the others coming? The hive mind must have been alerted already that there was something unfitting for assimilation on grid 38. But it wouldn't prevent the Borg to study him more closely. Perhaps the two drones were coming to get him, to take him somewhere for further study. But how would the Borg learn? They gained information through assimilation and that was that. But he couldn't be assimilated, at least by the male drones. Perhaps the next one to try would be former female. Chakotay sighed. If he had had any strength left in his body, this would have been the last moment to move back and run away. But he was unable to move.

Suddenly flashes of green light illuminated the dim corridors. They originated behind the corner. The two drones were taken by surprise and almost instantly they felled on the ground.

"Kathryn", Chakotay whispered.

"Here", Kathryn said and threw a piece of garment to him. "Get dressed. Quickly. We don't have much time. The hive mind is aware of unusual activity in this grid and more drones are coming."

"What happened in that alien vessel?" Chakotay asked. "What happened to that man, Teno?"

Kathryn did not answer. But Chakotay received images via their neural link. "You assimilated him?"

"There was no other choice", Kathryn told and Chakotay felt an enormous wave of guilt emanating from her.

"You did what you had to do", Chakotay said quietly.

"Yes… Yes I did. But you need to hurry now. You must get back and we must seal this subspace fracture, one way or another."

"And you are coming with me to the other side", Chakotay told then.

"It is not my universe."

That was the most direct answer from her so far. Chakotay was shocked.

"I don't care", he told. "You are coming. Otherwise this whole damn thing has had no purpose, no meaning at all."

"Chakotay…"

"What is left for you here?" Chakotay asked as he threw his punctured suit on the floor and started to put on the alien one Kathryn had found.

"I don't like the idea of individuals to jump from one universe to another", she told. "It doesn't seem right. It is not right, Chakotay. This is my fate here, in this universe. This universe is my reality. And then there is you. You need someone on this end to ensure the fracture is sealed for good."

"If I had assimilated you, you would have come with me anyway", he told. "Maybe that is your destiny. Maybe I was meant to come here to get you out."

But Kathryn hesitated.

"Kathryn!" Chakotay exclaimed. "Don't do this!"

"Chakotay…"

Chakotay stared her in disbelief. "_What are you doing?_" he asked via their link, since it felt more personal that way.

But Kathryn turned her face away. A wave of different emotions swept over Chakotay. Nothing made any sense to him anymore. And Kathryn sensed it. She felt his confusion like it was her own. And maybe it was. But then, all of the sudden, there was something so clear that made the confusion disappear. Kathryn turned her face to him again and looked him in his eyes. The universe on the other side of the fracture didn't mean anything to him, if she didn't come with him. His life, his liberty, his opportunity to grow old in a world without the Borg, on Earth – he was willing to throw it all away. Why? Why would he trade all that to few minutes on this Borg vessel?

"_You need to go Chakotay_…" she told_. "It shouldn't matter if I were there or not…"_

"_But it does matter"_, he told. "_It matters to me."_

And once he had said those words, Kathryn started to receive images from Chakotay's memories. They were events from his past, from a year ago or so. And she was part of that memory, she was right there in the centre of it. And she realized the memory had been one of those Chakotay had refused her to access earlier. But now he let her in. And what Kathryn saw, what she felt as their hearts started to beat in same rhythm, were images of them together on a space station, near Earth. The dinner, the kiss, the love making… The love making. He loved her and she had loved him. They had been free from the command structure, there was no duty between them anymore, keeping them apart. And the depth of his love was more than she had ever imagined, more than she could have ever known without the neural link between them. And her heart was suddenly burning in exactly the same way as his did. She wanted those memories to be hers as well. She loved him in this universe as well.

Kathryn stepped back and looked Chakotay her eyes wide open. "You and I…?"

"Yes", he told. "You and I."

She had not used to know something like this; all the time she had known him, they had never crossed this line. But now all his emotions were revealed and hers as well. There were no secrets between them anymore. There was just the same old devotion and affection. And love.

"_Let's go_", Chakotay told her. _"We can figure this out later, when we are on the other side. Come on. Let me take you home, Kathryn. Let me do that for you. And for me too."_

"_There is only one environmental suit"_, she told.

"_You mean your Borg armor cannot protect you from the space?_"

"_My Borg designation is 5 of 11, Auxiliary Intensifier of Unimatrix 96. My primary function as a drone does not require working with the hull of Borg vessels. There are no additional implants in my system to provide me oxygen in the void of space."_

"_But your physiology can take it?"_

_  
"My nanoprobes would maintain the biological parts of my body, if exposed to space for short periods of time."_

"_But you must have some kind of adaptor in that armor of yours to get connected with my oxygen supply."_

"_I do."_

"_Then do it, because we are going now."_

"I cannot come near you, remember?" she asked out loud. "Your assimilation tubules will be instantly activated."

Chakotay sighed. Yes, he had forgotten. He looked to Kathryn and anger flared in his heart. He was not ready to give up just yet. If only they had few extra minutes to figure this thing out. But the drones were almost here. Chakotay shook his head. How the hell was he going to get her with him? If only he had something to cut his hand off, because he was ready to do it, if that was the only way to bring her with him.

"What about your own environmental suit?" she asked then. "There may be some oxygen left."

"Not much, though", he told.

"Perhaps we can repair the oxygen supply of the suit, even thought the sleeve is punctured."

"Do we have the time to do something like that?"

"I don't know."

"But we must try", Chakotay said.

Kathryn stepped back, walked to the suit on the floor plates and quickly investigated the oxygen supply.

"There is only 4% oxygen left", she informed.

"Can you separate the oxygen supply from the rest of the suit?"

"Perhaps."

"_The drones are almost here_", Chakotay thought, though involuntarily.

"_I am aware of that_. _So if I cannot make it in time, you must go without me._"

"_I won't."_

"_You must. I will push you there myself, kick you through it, if nothing else gets you there."_

"_I will assimilate you then, remember?"_

"_We must do what is necessary Chakotay. If I cannot make it, you must."_

"_You are necessary for me."_

"_Chakotay…"_

"_You are and you know it. Now hurry up."_

"_I have separated the supply, refilling it."_

"_Good."_

Suddenly both of them became very aware of the footsteps nearby. The drones had found them.

"Ready?" Chakotay asked.

Kathryn nodded.

"Here we go."

Chakotay limped towards the subspace fracture, but suddenly he stopped. "After you", he told. "I know that a part of you is still willing to stay behind."

"There are no lies with this neural link, are there?"

"Nope. So get going. I will follow you closely behind", he told. "But not too closely", he added. "You are my queen, but have no interest to take that to the next level."

Kathryn smiled. "Aye, aye…"

Suddenly they saw five drones behind them.

"GO!" Chakotay yelled.

Kathryn stepped in the fracture and in the blink of an eye she found a barren and dark environment in front of her eyes. She was almost able to feel how quickly the nanoprobes in her system started to compensate the stress the space did to her biological parts. Kathryn also felt light. Umbriel was smaller than Luna and therefore the gravity did not hold her tightly on the icy ground. Her steps were light and with one tiny jump she was able to get meters away from the fracture.

Suddenly a green light flashed in the dark environment. Kathryn looked over her shoulder and saw Chakotay.

"_This is Umbriel?_" she asked to be sure.

"_This is it. That is Uranus right over there_", he told and nodded towards the massive bluish ball that dominated the sky.

"_Amazing!"_ Kathryn said and she didn't know if she should have laughed or cried.

"We must seal this thing now!" Chakotay yelled then inside of his helmet. "Those five drones are heading our way!"

"_The Borg are aware of the purpose of the fracture now. More drones have been commanded through the fracture, so it won't be just those five heading on this moon!"_

"_There is going to be a hot day on Umbriel before we can let that happen_" Chakotay yelled.

"_Step aside!_" Kathryn told via their neural link, since no there could be no voice to be heard in the void.

Chakotay nodded and got further from the fracture. Luckily he found it easier to move in this gravity as well. Kathryn extended her arm and shot the subspace fracture in front of her.

But nothing happened. And suddenly first drone appeared in front of their eyes.

"_What the hell?!_" Kathryn yelled in her mind. "_Do you have a phaser with you?_"

"_No_", Chakotay told.

"_I don't think I can stop them Chakotay!"_

"_Try! You must try!"_

"_There is not enough power in my forced plasma beam! I would require regeneration, if I were to stop them coming!"_

"_This is not happening…" _Chakotay sighed and kneeled on the ground. He was absolutely exhausted now. Even the Borg couldn't get him on his feet again.

Kathryn refused to believe that they had run out of the options. Instead of the fracture, she shot the drone. But it was futile. The Borg shields were already up.

"_Oh God_", Kathryn sighed. "_We brought the Borg back with us… they are once again in this universe… in this timeline… I should have stayed on the other side! It was a mistake for me to come here!_"

"_Stop blaming yourself Kathryn", _Chakotay told._ "It was mine decision as well. We did this together and you know it. Luckily we are still on Umbriel instead of Earth or Mars."_

"_Nevertheless, this is a disaster… They are coming and there is nothing I can do about it… nothing."_

Chakotay tried to remain calm, but he shared Kathryn's fear. This is what he had been feared since the first moment he had heard about the royal resurrection vinculum. This was the worst case scenario he had envisioned in his mind. He had failed. Kathryn was here now, but otherwise he had failed.

"_My being here does not justify this_", Kathryn told. "_I didn't want to take the responsibility of bringing the Borg back in this universe_._ It's too much for one person to handle. It is simply too much._"

"_It is my responsibility, not yours_", Chakotay told. "_This is my mistake. At least we are on this distant moon. They have nothing to assimilate here but you and me._"

"_If they get drones thought the fracture, they will get their technology as well. The Borg are extremely resilient, you know that."_

"_And there comes another one… two is the beginning of the billions."_

"_Oh God...", Kathryn sighed as he saw the second drone walking on the Umbriel's surface. "They are within our solar system now… on the doorstep of our home!"_

Then she saw the other drone taking something from the ground. It was the royal resurrection vinculum.

"_Damn!_" Chakotay thought. "_Damn! That damn thing should have been destroyed already!_"

Kathryn shared his anger. She extended her arm and aimed one more time, but not to the drone, but to the vinculum. Then she shot a forced plasma beam, which unfortunately was already quite weak, but perhaps enough to destroy the Borg device. But she missed. Kathryn gave up. She had tried, she had tried and tried, but she was tired, worn out. She did not function properly anymore without another regeneration cycle. So no matter what she tried, or how hard, it was all futile.

Suddenly a huge flash of light flickered above them and in a blink of an eye it hit the subspace fracture. Then there was an enormous bright flash that illuminated otherwise dark moon.

"_What was that?_" Kathryn asked.

"_I don't know, but it must have destroyed the fracture and the drones." _

Chakotay looked above him, to the direction where the light had come from, and saw a Federation shuttle hovering above them.

"_Tessa…_"

"_Tessa?_" Kathryn wondered.

Suddenly she received images via their link. Tessa was a brown-haired woman, a beautiful one, who loved Chakotay. Chakotay's thoughts about her were, however, mixed ones. There was affection, he did care about her, but a part of him had always been closed, out of her reach. And Kathryn knew now that Tessa had been the one to search the vinculum in the first place. She was the reason why Chakotay had come on this moon. And Chakotay had come searching for her. He had been worried, and angry.

"_It is not sealed yet_", Kathryn heard Chakotay saying.

"_What?"_

"_I can still hear them…"_

"_Me too… we are still connected to the hive mind…"_

"_There is a change that Tessa has not destroyed the Alpha Flyer yet"_, Chakotay said then. "_You must get there and fly here. You must shoot the fracture again, since we have no way of communicating with Tessa that the fracture is open, even though visibly for human eye."_

_  
"I'm tired Chakotay… and your shuttle is… kilometers away?"_

"_I cannot move either. I was barely able to jump to the fracture and now… I really cannot move anymore. If I could, I would, but…"_

"_The shuttle is landing", _Kathryn said then.

_  
"Tessa is coming for us", _he sighed. "_Maybe she will be able to pick up us before the next drones come."_

"_And then what?"_

"_We tell her to destroy the fracture and then we head back to Earth."_

"_Earth", _Kathryn sighed. _"Earth. All the years I fought to get here and now I am suddenly only a shuttle flight away from home… I cannot believe there are less than 3000 million kilometers to Earth. Kilometers, not light-years… I just cannot believe it."_

"_Believe it, Kathryn. We are going home."_

"_Am I? The people I know have already buried me. I have been dead to them for over a year now. How can I just simply go back there like nothing has happened?"_

_  
"We have plenty of time to figure it out"_ Chakotay told. _"But we must get off this moon first. Then we go to see the Doctor. He has more experience of getting Borg implants off from human body than anyone. What happens after that, who knows? We just need to take one day at the time."_

Suddenly Chakotay became to realize that Tessa had not landed yet. He looked at her shuttle again and noticed that she was lifting off again.

"_What is she doing_?" Chakotay wondered.

"_Is she leaving us here?"_

But then the shuttle fired again. A orange phaser beam cut the black void above them, illuminating the dark surface of the moon like the sun itself had suddenly been thrown closer to them.

"_She must have seen something on her sensors!_" Chakotay told. "_She must have seen readings from the fracture, so she is firing again."_

"_My link with the collective is getting weaker_", Kathryn informed.

"_That is a good sign."_

Suddenly an electric shock hit Kathryn's neck. In a matter of seconds there were small sparks of bright light originating below her left ear. Kathryn opened her mouth in pain, but sound waves had no means to travel across the void of space. Chakotay stared her in despair. He was only able to see the paralyzed expression on her face. Something in her body had sent a power surge to the neural transceiver and its sudden destruction knocked Kathryn out. Then she collapsed on the icy rocks.

"_Kathryn?_" Chakotay asked. "_Kathryn?_"

But it was futile. The neural link between them had been severed.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

**:::::::::::::::  
**

Kathryn opened her eyes. First she was only able to recognize a blurry figure above her, until her vision started to get sharper.

"Doctor…" she whispered to a familiar-looking man who stood by her biobed.

"Welcome back admiral", he responded.

"Admiral… my father was an admiral, Doctor. The last time we met, you were still calling me captain."

"Well… if you prefer I can still address you as a captain."

"It's alright Doctor", Kathryn sighed and lowered her back against the pillow once again. "How long have I been here?"

"Three days."

"Three days?"

"That is correct. I am glad to see you awake, but I would recommend that you rest now. Your body has taken a lot during the past days."

"I can imagine that."

Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. But suddenly she realized something. "Where's Chakotay?" she asked and opened her eyes again. "I can't hear him."

"Your neural link was severed on Umbriel. I believe the instability of the subspace fracture made your neural transceiver to overload when you were still connected to the hive mind in other universe. That, or the wound on your head. I found a nasty bruise on your skull, near the neural transceiver. It may have been damaged before you even entered the fracture."

"That is possible", Kathryn sighed. "But where is Chakotay now?"

"I had to put Mr. Chakotay in stasis", Doctor told.

"In stasis? Why? What is wrong with him?"

"The nanoprobes in his system are something I have not seen before; something I had not even theorized before. Therefore, I have called Dr. Beverly Crusher from the USS Enterprise to join me in this little project where we are taking the nanoprobes out of his system. She is another expert of the Borg technology in this quadrant and she was most interested to study the "royal resurrection vinculum nanoprobes" with me. I have not worked with her before, but I am quite sure we are going to make an excellent team. I guess we could even write a paper together, who knows? Anyway, you on the other hand are entirely different story. I have already extracted 89% of the Borg technology from your body. I should be able to remove the rest as well, or at least 98% of it, but now you need to rest until we continue the treatment."

"That is good to hear."

"I should also inform you that the Starfleet and your family has been noted about your miraculous return."

"My family?" Kathryn asked. "Do they know I am not their Kathryn?"

"No", The Doctor told. "Starfleet decided to conceal the truth form the general public."

"Excuse me?"

"The official explanation of your miraculous return is the one without mentioning parallel universes. The general public was already frightened when the Starfleet informed that they have found functional Borg technology on Umbriel. So in order to avoid full panic, Starfleet gave a statement where your return was explained by the amazing discovery of a Borg escape pod, which contained the remains of the Queen. Naturally Annika Hansen was given the credit of the discovery, since she was the one to tell Mr. Chakotay where to go."

"I cannot fool my mom", Kathryn sighed. "I have no memories from this universe so I'm sure she will know."

"Do not worry," The Doctor informed cheerfully. "I have already said that there might be some gaps in you memory. Surviving from the explosion of the massive Borg cube and to be stored in an escape pod can damage memory in a significant way."

"I see", Kathryn said. "What about Starfleet? Did they investigate Umbriel?"

"Let's just say that there is a new crater on the Umbriel moon now, created couple of days ago. There is nothing left there. The vinculum, as interesting the object would have been for further study, has been destroyed and all that is left from it is a massive, 1,5 kilometers wide hole on the ground of Umbriel."

"That is good to know."

"So there is no need to worry, admiral. We are still living in a Borg-free universe."

Kathryn closed her eyes. She was relieved.

"What about Chakotay?" she asked then. "Will he survive?"

"I am confident that he will."

"Good."

"Now, I have few letters for you", Doctor said then.

"For me?" Kathryn asked and opened her eyes again. "From whom?"

Doctor didn't response, but he gave her a padd instead. Then he turned around and left.

Kathryn activated the small screen and started to read.

Dear Admiral,

There are no words to describe how much joy the news of your return gave to all of us. The crew has missed you tremendously. I am actually writing this letter to you from Delta Quadrant where the Voyager was thrown one more time. I know you didn't like the idea of Starfleet ever returning here, but so far it has been an interesting mission. But I have to say that the Delta Quadrant is not the same without you.

I know you must be feeling overwhelmed by now. So yes – I am aware of the truth. Therefore, I felt the need to write this letter to you. I wanted to remind you what happened to us years ago in the Delta Quadrant and specifically what you told me once.

We had been in the Delta Quadrant less than two years, when something very strange happened to me. Instead of one Voyager, there were suddenly two, and I had to jump from one universe to another. In fact, my captain in the universe that used to be mine gave me a direct order to leave my Voyager and to jump to the other. So I know what you must be feeling right now.

All I can say that no matter how strange that might first be, you will get used to it, and before you know it, this universe is really the one where you belong. And I know you must belong here, because when you were gone 18 months ago, none of us accepted that. So we are so grateful to have you back.

Get well soon. Best wishes,

Lt. Harry Kim

"Lieutenant?" Kathryn asked and wiped a tear off her cheek. "Oh Harry…"

Kathryn closed her eyes and went back to the time when they had been in the Delta Quadrant only for a year or so. The ship had hit severe subspace turbulence and their antimatter was being drained. Her counterpart from other universe had destroyed her ship in order to save hers. And Harry, with newly born baby Naomi, had jumped from the other universe into their own. And she had welcomed them both. And she had not ever thought about Harry as some other person than he really was. Perhaps she should try to do the same to herself now.

"Thank you Harry", Kathryn whispered. Then she activated another letter on her padd.

Dear Kathryn,

I don't know exactly why I am writing this letter, since you don't even know who I am, but I guess there are some things I simply need to get off my chest.

I guess I wanted you know that Chakotay loves you. If you don't know that by now, you really should. I had the opportunity to "borrow" him for awhile and what I learnt during the months I spent with him is that he is truly amazing person. But I guess you already knew that, right? So I hope you realize how lucky you are to be loved by him and that you appreciate every moment you have him by your side. Something tells me that you do and that thought eases me.

Perhaps one day, when I am able to be genuinely happy for you both, we could meet somewhere. Until then – get better and have a wonderful life. You have been given a second chance. You truly are the lucky one.

Take care of him.

Tessa

Kathryn was at a loss of words. She was uncertain what to think or how to feel. She put the padd away and closed her eyes again. It was strange to be here, but she decided that "here" was home now. She still had questions in her mind, but she wanted to believe that all the answers would come in time.


	8. EPILOGUE

**EPILOGUE**

**::::::::::::::**

The Doctor entered the room, which had become his new office three days ago. He reviewed his latest report of Janeway's current condition for the last time before submitting it to the Starfleet Command. But once inside in his office, he was suddenly distracted by a presence of a person he did not expect to find here. There was someone standing in the corner of the room.

"Annika?" he asked. "How… what are you doing here?"

"My presence was required", she told. "Starfleet wanted to do some tests in order to find an explanation how I sensed the Borg on Umbriel."

"I have not been informed about that."

"I met Dr. Silver yesterday", she told. "He is in charge of the tests."

"Very well… So are you here to see Admiral Janeway?"

"I already saw her."

"When? I have been here the whole day and I haven't seen you around."

"I came last night."

"Last night? But… Annika – what is going on? Are you feeling well?" The Doctor asked then. "Do you require medical assistance?"

"I think so."

The Doctor switched on his tricorder and started scanning. And once the first readings hit the small screen, his holopgraphic eyes reflected amazement and horror.

"What have you done?" he asked quietly.

Seven turned around and revealed her face, which had already become pale and grayish.

"Where did you get the nanoprobes?" Doctor demanded to know.

"I removed them from Admiral's extracted implants."

"What?! Why…? Why did you do this Annika?"

"I am unique individual", she told. "But since the Borg were no more, I became like the others. Now I am unique again. This is who I am."

"I don't believe this… I thought you wanted to get rid of your Borg implants. That was always our goal. And you achieved that goal. And now you have done this? This makes you happy now?"

"Yes."

"Annika…"

"My name is Seven Of Nine", she told firmly. "And now you may start extracting the Borg technology from my body, the ones you can remove. But be advised Doctor – you cannot remove them all."

"Anni… Seven – After all the progress we made during the years in two quadrants of this galaxy, you did this to yourself?" Doctor asked in confusion.

"This may make me imperfect human Doctor… but this is who I am. I am Seven Of Nine. I am finally Seven Of Nine again."


End file.
